Nutrition and Supplementation for the Masters Athlete
∗ 77 year old Courtney Stanley…. “What is this guy eating ??…” I believe Nutrition is extremely important (Critical) to longevity and strength.” Everything I ingest has a specific purpose. The supplement brands below are chosen for their quality/purity….they may not be the cheapest…but you want the best right?? …and of course it does take a little work to assemble all the ingredients and ingest them at the right times and with the correct foods. I have eliminated all unnecessary medicines except Levothyroxine that I must take for my Thyroid. Back spasms from Spinal Stenosis Pain is managed through reduction of pro-inflammatory foods and substances, as well as adding High Dose Astaxanthin (12mg.), plus athletic activity. I am now using the Carivore-ish Diet! (Paleo)-(As of Feb 2020)
I had a Heart Attack on June 30, 2018. and had a single stent placed. Stuff happens! All my Lab values were good and I was in excellent health. Dr’s. don’t know why, but blamed it on Genetics…”bad luck”. Not Diet or Lifestyle. This assumption ignores Mitochondrial function. I don’t believe it was bad luck…rather, some questionable supplement choices and Diet selections. I looked healthy but had some serious health issues.
Most of the major diseases we’re currently treating with harsh and toxic drugs can potentially be solved with proper nutritional intervention that addresses your choice of cellular fuels. Iam now using “Intermittent-fasting“..(14hrs. or more each day).This is critical for proper mitochondrial function (Respiration) Please look this up as it is the most critical issue in a successful defensive strategy against Cancer-Diabetes-Alzheimer’s and most other acquired lifestyle diseases. I get into Autophagy and Mitophagy (think cellular respiration and cleaning) everyday, if possible. Meals consist of large post workout shake ( I w/o fasting) and my OMAD (“One meal a day”).
Don’t let age corrupt your well being and lifestyle….I didn’t want to retire and live as an invalid, so some work and personal education was necessary to prevent this from overtaking me. Dropping weight, eliminating NSAIDS, No Steroids of ANY kind, Limited Dairy, avoiding “refined” sugar and Polyunsaturated Fats (Seed Oils), lowering stress levels, etc. Since making this change my blood profiles have normalized, Resting HR dropped to the 60’s, BP at 105-20/74, Body weight at 198 -205 (6’1″), lipid profiles normal…in short all labs back to where they should have been.
Let’s take a look at my daily intake of food and supplements.
Absolutely essential to take in Salt and water all day…I stick my finger in a jar of Redmond Salt then put it on my tongue then drink 6-8oz at a time…Small frequent doses are better absorbed)
- Anti-Oxidants-Wait at least 3hrs. AFTER exercise on Workout Day (helps preserve W/O gains….ROS(Reactive Oxygen Species) are Helpful during and after W/O as the help with “Gains”…so don’t kill ’em with Anti-Oxidants!
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L-Glycine Powder 3 to 4gm …..Essential Amino and great Glyphosate blocker. Our food supply and some clothes we wear (Cotton Bedsheets too) is completely contaminated with this stuff (Round-Up Pesticide). Use 2grams before bed…Helps you maintain sleep for entire night and “fall asleep” faster!
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Potassium bicarbonate (1.3 gm.)….goes in daily shake. (Maintains Potassium requirements and also acts as a “Buffer”→ Bicarbonate.
- Boron….10mg. Prevents Loss of Calcium,Magnesium,and Phosphorus in urine. Testosterone goes up ↑ -> Estradiol Down ↓
- Alpha GPC – 600mg. (Double Wood) Pre-Workout. (Nootropic) **New**
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Ceylon Cinnamon 1 tsp per day ….Note: Must use Ceylon from Sri Lanka to avoid excess Coumarin in “Chinese”(Cassia Cinnamon) found commonly in supermarkets. Used to lower BP and Insulin resistance.
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Sports Research Lutein 20mg.and Zeaxanthin 4mg for Eyes (AMD).
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Astaxanthin (antioxidant) 12mg (Double Wood Brand): Most potent anti-inflammatory- Allowed me to stop taking NSAIDS !! (Crosses Blood/Brain Barrier)
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Magnesium:Malate (Double Wood) Split dosing (500mg ea.)- 2 in am 2 in pm. 2,000mg. DiMagnesium Malate in formulation.Malate form is better for Gut and Joint health than other forms of Mg
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Selenium 200mcg ..Thorne Research® -Selenium is absolutely essential (Take at last meal ).→ Big Anti-cancer…No Selenium on days I eat Liver.
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Ubiquinol 200mg. (Qunol Brand) Mitochondrial Health – Energy fuel.This is better than CoQ10 for older folks!
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Vitamin D-3 ( 5000IU ) Complex (Sports-Research) ( Bone – Heart – Sleep – Anti Cancer. ) Absolutely essential ! …this is absolute minimum during the pandemic!
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Vitamin K-2 ( As 100mg. MK-7 and 500mg. MK-4 ) (Innovix Labs) ( Bone – Heart – Sleep – Anti Cancer. ) Essential compliment to D-3 ( Keeps calcium out of your arteries-No K2 when I eat Liver.
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Zinc 15mg (Thorne Labs)
- 1 Tbsp. Organic Moringa Powder; Rich in proteins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, and flavonoids. Kuli-Kuli is the best one.
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Whey Protein: 30g+ (MuscleFeast) About 1 hour after workout (also every day) This is Unflavored-Grass-fed – Unflavored keeps you free of Heavy Metal contamination with flavors (especially chocolate)
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Protein from supplements at 28-60g. From food 190 -210+ g. Total Protein about 1.26 – 1.36 g per pound of Body Weight...
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Creatine 5g daily for my body size….(Muscle feast CreaPure® )- (Plus Much More in my food)
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Beef Tallow, Ghee or Bacon Fat for greasing pans and High heat cooking
- 1Tbsp Organic Coconut Oil (Adds Fat for Absorption of supplements that require it). Take this with “Shake”.
- At Least a Tablespoon of “Local Honey” (I have a Beekeeper friend who gets me Honey from where I live-within 5 miles)
- 1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt 5% Fage Brand (probiotics-protein)
Medicine:
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Levothyroxine – 112 mcg. Daily (Thyroid)..recently lowered from 150mcg.. due to dietary changes.
Food Choices: ( See also – Carnivore Diet )
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Beef: Rib Eye-NY or Sirloin Cuts-Eye of Round Roast-English Roast-Ground Beef– Free Range Chicken ( Hormone- Antibiotic Free )-Beef Liver 3 times (max.) per week-Wild Caught ( Maximum 1 times per week ) Pork2-3 Times a week (Since Pandemic – Watch out for corn in feed plus cook well to avoid parasites)-Seafood ( Mostly Salmon or Yellow Fin Tuna ) Once a week to limit Mercury exposure…some Bacon.
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Organic Butter: ( Preferably Grass fed ie, “Kerry Gold” )
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Smoothie Shake = Whey Protein ..add 5g Creatine -Fresh Blueberries -a Banana -1tsp. Cinnamon(Lowers BP) – add – an Avocado or 1Tsp. Coconut Oil – Almond/Coconut Milk or water.- L-Glycine (1-2g)…Ginger 1tsp [Anti-Cancer] – Moringa Powder [Covers all your “Greens” needs-Potassium Bicarbonate Powder (Potassium needs and Wokout Stress Buffering) .***Note: I throw everything in here…usually at midday to early pm….see list above.
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White Rice and White Potatoes (Occasional Sweet Potato)…See Vertical Diet, much easier to digest than Sweet Potato’s and less sugars. For Sweet Potatoes…try to get Purple or Japanese Varieties. Much better for your Gut Microbiome.
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Broccoli (Sulfurophane), Carrot’s (Carotenoids), Beets(Nitic Oxide and Polyphenols) and Green Beans as side dishes. Black Olives.
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Watch Oxalates !! (Think Leafy green Vegetables like spinach))
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Oranges and Apples(No Honeycrisp..too much sugar) as Evening Dessert. Don’t ever buy any Apples with the “APEEL” sticker on them.
SALT:
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High intensity Strength athletes need more Salt (Unless a medical Condition that Salt Aggravates exists)…I “dip” my finger into a small Jar of Salt next to my “Berkey” Water Filter before taking a 1/2 glass water….I repeat this several times a day. It’s much better to take small amounts of water frequently, as opposed to a big Bolus of water.Salt your food to “Taste”.
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Add “Redmond’s” Ancient Salt mined in Utah…3 grams upon waking…lots of trace elements here as well.This salt is far superior to “Himalayan Salt which is produced from “above ground’ deposits that are subject to atmospheric contamination.Also contains 87 additional minerals from the earth.
Avoidance List
NO NSAIDS !! — No Pain Meds of any kind.
NO STATINS !!…just no!
AVOID ALL SEED OILS And PUFA’s {Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids}
*** It is vital that you reduce your intake of industrially processed seed oils as much as you can. This means eliminating all of the following oils:
Olive (EVVO) and avocado oil should also be on the list as over 80% of these are adulterated. But even if they weren’t it simply isn’t worth it to have high levels of olive oil as it is loaded with the omega-6 fat called linoleic acid, and is often Rancid.
Ultra-processed Foods:
Examples of ultra-processed foods include breakfast cereals, pizza, chicken nuggets, soda, chips and other salty/sweet/savory snacks, packaged baked goods, microwaveable frozen meals, instant soups and sauces and much more. More generally, ultra-processed foods can be defined as food products containing one or more of the following:
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Ingredients that are not traditionally used in cooking
Unnaturally high amounts of sugar, salt, processed industrial oils and unhealthy fats ( Read the ingredients closely!)
Artificial flavors, colors, chemical sweeteners and other additives that imitate sensorial qualities of unprocessed or minimally processed foods (examples include additives that create textures and pleasing mouth-feel)
Preservatives and chemicals that impart an unnaturally long shelf-life
Genetically engineered (GE) ingredients, which in addition to carrying potential health risks also tend to be heavily contaminated with toxic herbicides such as glyphosate, 2,4-D and dicamba
Unsprouted grains. If consuming grains (which are best avoided altogether), make sure they’re sprouted. Unsprouted grains, sugar or fructose decrease seven of the 12 most important hormones
SUGAR:
- Not only is sugar a highly addictive substance (surpassing that of cocaine, according to some studies), but other ingredients are also highly addictive, especially salt and fat. In fact, the processed food industry has developed “craveabilty” into an art form. Nothing is left to chance, and by making their foods addictive, manufacturers ensure repeat sales.
- Sugar and fructose, including fresh fruit juice, as the rapid sugar spike effectively blocks hormone secretion; choose low-fructose fruits
- No alcohol consumption, as this decreases your growth hormone production. Having just one alcoholic drink per day can decrease your HGH by 75 percent!…yiikes!!
- Avoid exogenous Opioids at all costs. They will destroy your immune system (among other things!).
DAIRY Consumption:
- Greek Yogurt … 5% fat one like FAGE
- Eggs … Think Choline here.
- Limit Casein and Gluten- What many don’t realize is that part of the problem stems from the fact that gluteomorphins (from gluten) and caseomorphins (from casein) act as exogenous opioids which are proven to harm your immune system. Virtually anyone suffering with an autoimmune problem, be it multiple sclerosis (MS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or Hashimoto’s (autoimmune thyroid disease), just to name a few, would be wise to try a gluten- and dairy-free diet to help optimize immune function. (Grass-fed ghee can be used, as it’s very low in casein.)
Facts for Athletes:
- Eating meat won’t give you heart disease.
- Saturated fat does not clog arteries and dietary cholesterol has no impact on blood cholesterol.
- Salt Intake is critical (See above comments on this)
- Not all meats are the same. Processed meats aren’t as healthy as unprocessed.
- Not all fats are the same. Polyunsaturated fats are associated with heart disease; Saturated fats are not. This is the reverse of what most of us have been told.
- The widely quoted China Study is a farce. Yet meat-free dieters use it to support their claims even though it’s been proven highly inaccurate.
- Vegans and vegetarians don’t stave off disease. Their disease rates are not lower than that of meat-eating populations.
- Crops aren’t more ethical than raising cows. They destroy land, use more resources than you’d imagine, and kill more animals than you know.
- Plant proteins aren’t effective proteins. They cause more nutritional deficiencies than avoiding them altogether.
